Saar glanced over his shoulder, skimming the narrow passage in both directions. But for a pair of spear-slender cats slinking through the shadows he saw no one.
Satisfied, he kept moving, wedging his body through the gap between two large rows of grain bins. At the far end he saw a loaf of bread on a blanket beside a cold smoked fish and a handful of dried dates.
He sighed. ‘This is a wonderful surprise, Kiya, but I cannot stay to enjoy it. Please forgive me.’
The woman in question stepped out from behind one of the bins, her silky robes fluttering behind her. Her large, dark eyes narrowed as she approached, an effect compounded by the dark smudges of kohl around them. ‘You’re late.’
‘I was delayed.’ He thought back to Kazemde and his curious claims about the tower at Pharos. ‘I cannot eat with you.’
‘Why?’ She moved closer, running her delicate hands up and down his arms, a touch that made him shiver. ‘Do you not love me?’
‘Of course I do.’ He kissed her lips. ‘But I have other matters to attend. Higher things.’
She stiffened in his arms. ‘Higher than me?’
‘Don’t misunderstand me, I—’
‘I don’t. You said it yourself. “Higher things.”’ Kiya jerked away. ‘I may be a servant, but I’m no fool. I know what happens in the palace, perhaps better than you.’
He tried to touch her face. ‘I would never—’
‘You do.’ She backed away. ‘Much like the other men who seek my attention, you think me beautiful, dainty and foolish. I’m not a flower to be admired, nor a child to be coddled, I’m a woman. Remember that.’
Saar gazed at his toes. ‘I meant no offence. I’d never insult you willingly or knowingly. I meant only that my worries are of things higher than myself. Problems that none but the gods can solve. I want to know the minds of men but I’m no god. I’m mortal just as you are and these problems may not be beyond you, but they are certainly beyond my humble knowledge.’
She smiled. The gesture was beautiful. Re’s light seemed to fill her whole face and dimples appeared on her cheeks, visible as darker shadows against the rich brown of her sun-kissed skin. ‘I never thought I would hear you say it.’
‘Say what?’
‘That something— anything— was beyond you, dear love. You who fixes everything.’
‘I don’t fix everything.’
The smile widened. ‘You try. You feel all the troubles of the world so keenly. They touch you like no other man I’ve ever met.’
‘You exaggerate.’
‘Do I? Why else do you fight so passionately and walk the streets among the common men?’
Staring at the sacks of grain, Saar clenched his hands into fists. ‘I’m captain. It’s my duty to ensure that the people are buoyed up by the knowledge of our strength. They must see confidence in their leaders to feel the same themselves.’
‘While that is true, must you also pander to the silly whims of Cleopatra?’
‘She’s my queen.’
‘And mine, but she will not touch me. Never. My body is for you. Why can you not say the same?’
At last, Saar turned away from the grain. He put his arms around Kiya’s slender shoulders to pull her against him. She sighed and linked her arms around his neck.
‘I love you. Nobody but you. Cleopatra is young but powerful. I can’t afford to displease her. Please understand that.’
Kiya pushed on to her tiptoes and kissed him. ‘Eat with me.’
Juicy dates and warm bread lured him towards the blanket, but Saar shook his head. ‘I’m sorry. I came only to touch your face and kiss your lips. I’m wanted in the palace.’
Her expression darkened. ‘Cleopatra. Again.’
‘Yes, but—’
‘No, Saar, go. Stand in her rooms and let her touch you and treat you as one of her many other toys. I’ll stay here.’
When he tried to see her face, she jerked away, sitting on the end of the blanket and reaching for the bread. She tore the soft flesh of the loaf between her fingers and shoved it into her mouth.
‘I’m sorry, Kiya.’
She turned away, still shredding the loaf into inedible fragments.
After lingering for a moment longer, Saar shook his head and walked back the way he came.